The Emperor represents a powerful masculine figure, often a father or a leader in business. He is associated with many father-figure gods throughout history, particularly Zeus. The Emperor symbolises an idealised representation of a man. He is kind and benevolent, filling others with self-worth and comfort. He is stable and in control of his situation. Sometimes he is in control of those around him. He can also represent a desire for control, and a desire to rule over one's surroundings. His appearance in a reading can suggest that the subject needs to accept that some things may not be controllable, and others may not benefit from being controlled.

This card, with its stability, can represent the risk of stagnation and rigidity. It may also represent power abused, and the dangers of authoritarianism, control, and a sense of entitlement beyond our actual rights. It may serve as a warning to the questioner not to take such a path, or a warning to avoid such a person. It may also represent an external force keeping us from our destiny.